The Hand of God Works Silent Wonders

Just a quick jot on what happened this night.

Each week I make it a habit of setting aside a day for praying the Rosary – a form of prayer/devotion directed towards the Blessed Virgin Mary and God, and which centres on the 4 different Mysteries depending on the day (for more information, see http://www.theholyrosary.org/). Usually I allot the Rosary for Mondays; however, I decided a bit of flavour dwelling on the other 3 Mysteries would be good, especially since I am on a semester break.

Today happened to be the day I planned to have the Rosary. The thing is, my dad came back unusually early: a little before 8pm (it is normal for him to arrive home between 12am – 2am). Usually his coming home is marked with a loud commotion from below, as he tends to put the sound system in a relatively high to near maximum volume, at least initially. There was not a night that I could recall in which I (if I am awake) could not hear whatever he is listening/watching to through the door of my bedroom. And my concentration, which is not good to begin with, drops exponentially as my brain receives and processes those audible waves transmitted from my ears. Also, due to my style of prayer, the recitation consumes quite an amount of time.

Somehow however, my dad did rev the speakers and bass connected to his laptop as he normally would this night. In fact, I could perceive little of the sounds emitting from the system. Even the TV was at the same volume I left it in the morning. This quiet miracle continued even after I finished my prayer – which took even longer than usual – with hardly any disturbance from outside my room.

Truly, this night was a blessed night.

RFG always.

Gay: Yay or Nay?

Recently I have been hearing a lot about the rising number of Christians who promote homosexuality, saying it is fine to reciprocate and live out romantic feelings with the same gender. Not too long ago there was a case in Malaysia where a pastor filed a divorce with his wife and later announced his marriage plans with his partner. He also went on and urged the homosexual community here to stand up and voice their opinions.

I also came across a person who claimed to hold a doctorate in theology supporting this stance, expressing his astonishment by such arguments, quoting the letter of Romans that we are saved by grace alone, both heterosexuals and homosexuals sin, and that we are not to judge others since we are all sinners.

First off, it needs to be established that the act of homosexuality is sinful. The passages in the Bible reflects that and strongly condemns such behaviour. Sodom (in which we derive the word sodomy from) was destroyed for their sin mentioned in Genesis 19:5. Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13 mentioned explicitly God commanding the Israelites to keep away from this practice lest they be put to death. St Paul also condemns this practice in the New Testament in Romans 1:26,27,32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; and 1 Timothy 1:9-10.

Some pro-homosexualists argue that Sodom was destroyed, not because of their homosexual behaviour, but because they did not show hospitality. That cannot be the case as Lot, an inhabitant of Sodom, showed hospitality and welcomed the two men into his home in Genesis 19:2-3. Also note that further down to verse 7, Lot begged the people of the Sodom “not to do such a wicked thing”, which, from the inhabitants’ demands, was to “bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them” (verse 5). Nowhere in the Bible is it recorded that God destroyed a city just because its residents did not show hospitality to His people, which presents the latter as the only other plausible option.

Also, if we read Leviticus 18, the act of homosexuality is one of the causes which defiled the nations and prompted the Lord drive of its inhabitants; this is also very telling about the sin of Sodom, as the past oft reflects God’s future actions.

I have been to sites which promote homosexuality and I have seen their “proves” that the Bible “allows” and “supports” this act. The very fact they wrench individual verses without even understanding the terms and meanings meant by the passages are so ridiculous it is not even funny.

For example, the man Phillip converted in Acts 8:26-39 was “gay” because he was an eunuch. But it cannot be that he was castrated because his specific duty given to him by the higher-ups, as was the custom those days (just go look up any definition of eunuch during the age of the Romans, and they will point out the same description).

Some quote Matthew 19:12 as Jesus consenting to homosexuals. But further back in the same passage Jesus was talking about divorcing your wife. And did he not quote, “that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' (Matthew 19:4-5)?” It cannot be that what Jesus was referring to was single life, as was practiced by several prophets in the in preparation for God’s holy ministry (eg: Elijah).

Then they quote David and Jonathan’s relationship as “gay” based on 1 Samuel 18:1 and 2 Samuel 1:26. But it cannot be that the love was a brotherly type – no, to them it must have been a sexual romantic type. So I guess when Jesus commanded, “Love your neighbour as yourself” (see also Leviticus 19:18), He must have meant we should all be polygamous bisexuals.

I apologise for the sarcasm of the last 3 paragraphs, but it aggravates me that some people twist God’s very sacred Scripture for their own benefit. Such blind pretexts were the catalyst for many atrocious events in the history of Christianity – the Crusades being one of them. Even the devil had used the Scriptures to tempt our Lord in the wilderness (Luke 4:10-11).

At least there some justification when they questioned John 13:23 – when the Apostle was leaning on Jesus’ breast –, as the verse may be a little disconcerting for a casual reader. But I implore readers to look into this deeper before making hasty conclusions. In ancient Rome, festal meals were eaten, not in a sitting position, but in a reclining position (Roller, 2006). Besides, the Gospel of John was written primarily for the Jews; why then, had such a controversial action gone unquestioned by the conservative Jews nor addressed by the Apostles, as was with circumcision (Acts 15)?

In fact, the council of Jerusalem states in Acts 15:20 that we are to keep away from unlawful marriages. To effect, I can quote Leviticus 20 as the basis of this statement. All Christians will agree that the practice of homosexuality was greatly condemned in the Old Testament. This law has been extended right up to the New Testament.

In response to the PhD holder in the second paragraph, I am honestly quite stunned that he actually wrote as such. Is he implying that it is permissible to act on conscious sin? More than that, is he encouraging these people to carry on living in perpetual sin? And by acknowledging the sin, is he also implying that one may enter God’s Kingdom living in perpetual conscious sin? The very same letter he based his justification on condemns him, “Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:32).

Do not get me wrong: with all is said, it does not mean that we are to reject, distance or despise homosexual people. After all, as Mr PhD noted, none of us are perfect beings. Thus, we have no right to cast the first stone (John 8:7,9). As the saying goes, hate the sin but love the sinner.

Rather, I say we are to befriend them and treat them no differently than how we treat others, following Jesus’ example when he mingled with the bunch of tax collectors and prostitutes. Do we distance ourselves from our best friends just because his/her character may be in contrast with ours?

Approach them and get to know them: their lives, aspirations, fears, etc. Through this, we may come to fathom the depth of their problems and what caused them to act in such a way. From their experience, those who had counselled homosexuals reported that all of their cases stemmed from a dark or disturbed event(s). Only by walking and empathising with them can we help them overcome their struggles.

RFG always.

Reference:

B Roller, Matthew. (2006). Dining posture in ancient Rome: bodies, values, and status. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

You Can Lead a Horse to Water, but You Can’t Make it Drink

A few weeks back, I was writing a report for my Civil Engineering Materials (CEM) on an advanced type of concrete termed as ultra-high performance ductility concrete (UHPdC) based on a site visit to a manufacturer a few days prior.

Halfway through the paper, I incidentally recalled an event that happened during my site visit. Our class was introduced to a one inch thick UHPdC retaining wall (those used to prevent the ground/soil from collapsing), and was asked to pound it with all our strength using a metal hammer that was supplied. Neither the student nor staff pounding the wall managed to deal any significant damage to it. We were subsequently informed that the material was capable to resist even gunshots.

However, some students voiced out their disbelief and wanted to witness it happen in front of them before accepting it as fact (of course, such test did not take place in the factory). Even after proceeding to our next agenda, a significant portion of students remained behind and loud repeated pounding could be heard from one end of the factory to the next.

Maybe those that remarked so did not actually mean it; maybe they do. Yet it had me thinking: if people cannot accept something that is almost practically proven to them in front of their eyes, how much more would the world reject something physically intangible as faith in God?

This reminds me of a story I heard a few years back. There was a man who firmly disbelieved in the existence of God. He challenged a priest one day on his religious faith and was asked this question, “If I could somehow definitively prove that God truly exist, would you then believe?” “No,” the atheist answered. “Well then,” the priest went on, “What’s the point?”

When Alfred Wegener set out to prove his theory of continental drift (a theory that our continents on Earth are slowly drifting apart, initially being one huge landmass), most were sceptical; even with all the evidence he had collected they demanded more, and subsequently rejected this concept. It was only after his death, with the advancement of technology and accumulation of more reasons did many began to acknowledge Wegener’s theory. All this is through scientific/logical deduction – yet spiritual insight cannot merely be gained through this reasoning alone, no matter how technologically advanced we may become.

The record of Isaiah 6:9-10 rings prominently when God said, “Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” As it was during Jesus’ time (John 12:37), so it is now, as it had been, and will be, in every generation.

No matter how many reasons one may provide, ultimately it is up to the individual to take his stand. Nonetheless, I really wish it otherwise when Jesus said, “Know that many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:13)

Forgiveness and Justice

Earlier this night we had our first CSS gathering for this semester. The topic on forgiveness, and was primarily centred on a Saint called Maria Goretti.

A quick rundown on the Saint: Maria Goretti was born 1890 in Italy. She was killed – stabbed 14 times – by a man named Alessandro Serenelli for refusing to submit to his sexual desires, on grounds that to do so would be to sin. During her last hours in the hospital, she expressed forgiveness to her murderer before her death. Alessandro was sentenced to 30 years in prison, whereby he remained unrepentant until one day he had a dream, in which Maria gave him lilies which burned in his hands. After his release, Alessandro visited Maria’s mother to ask for forgiveness, which the latter did.

Halfway during the sharing session a member suddenly popped out this question: he asked for the small group’s opinion (we were divided into smaller groups for sharing) on the word ‘justice’ and ‘forgiveness’; and whether the two are the same. Some concluded the two were different, and he agreed to that definition as well.

He then put forth another question: is it possible to forgive someone, at the same time wanting to see justice done to him/her? He gave the scenario: suppose a person kills someone; is it justice that the murderer should pay for the consequences with his life by being hanged to death? This issue is very real in Malaysia, where capital punishment is permitted under the national law.

One member – also a leader in the CSS – approved of this course of action, asserting that these people need to be taught a lesson, and that the only way to impede such actions was through such justice systems. Previously he shared how his uncle was murdered, leaving behind a family and child who barely started schooling. Both he and his family were affected by this, his grandmother most of all.

While I disagree with him in this matter, this gives me no right to judge him. I have not experienced anyone close to me go in a tragic manner, thus I do not truly know how it feels like. It is very difficult to conclude how you will react if you had never been in that situation. Sure, us Christians would like to imagine ourselves being as Jesus was to those who crucified him, yet it is easier said than done, especially with all the emotions running turbulent.

The first member that brought forth the question (let us call him A) acknowledged the leader’s (let us call him B) response, saying he knows fully where B is coming from and, having never experienced this pain before, gave him no right to pass judgment on B’s account.

A then shared his opinion: sometimes it is very hard to have both justice and forgiveness on the same plate, especially if you are a victim of that event. Nevertheless, say the murderer has been sentenced to death, would you then be truly appeased? Will it finally bring you contentment? To him, the authority to take a life belongs only to God. You can have a person sentenced to lifelong imprisonment; however, passing a death sentence is as though you are playing God. To have a person sentenced to death is not truly justice in his point of view.

For me, forgiveness and justice is not different in the sense they function independently from the other. While the world may define them as two opposite poles, that is just not how it works. Rather, I say they are distinct yet complement each other.

Back in the Old Testament, the justice system was such that an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth (Exodus 21:24). Yet if we were to look deeper into this issue, we realise that God instituted this in order to prevent excessive vengeance and over-retaliation from spreading rampant among the people of Israel. Take for instance, Genesis 34:25-29, before the law was created. For the wrongdoing of one man, instead of dealing appropriately with the person (or even the family) responsible for the action, the entire city fell under the retribution of Simeon and Levi. The eye became more than a life here; it encompassed everything related to the individual.

That was not how God had planned it in the beginning however. In Genesis 4, when Cain murdered his brother Abel, God did not put into practice the “eye for an eye.” He allowed Cain to walk free with His life, and continued to watch over him even after he was driven out of the land. Also note that there is no mention of Cain showing any remorse for his actions – all the more reason had God wanted to strike him down.

Consider as well the story of Jonah. Had God meant the law to be firmly in place, He would have long ago razed Nineveh instead of sending Jonah with the proclamation that would cause the city to repent. Yet it is written on numerous occasions, the Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love (Exodus 34:6; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalms 103:8)

Justice and forgiveness showed its final and truest form in the life and death of Jesus. For justice in our Lord’s eyes is to forgive, as He had done for us in word (Luke 23:34) and action (1 Peter 2:24). What He did for us on the Cross for our sins; we in turn should strive to follow in His footsteps. If He had justified us with His blood, is it still justice to demand the blood of others?

I admit it is not the easiest thing to do: forgiving the one who caused your sorrow, especially if it wreaked a major impact on your life. One CSS member speculated the reason Maria Goretti could so easily forgive Alessandro Serenelli was that she was soon going pass from the world, and intended to set things right before meeting our Lord; she had nothing more to lose, and no future to look forward to. Her mother, on the other hand, had years to recuperate; her daughter already having forgiven her aggressor, it would have been an insult to her memory had she not forgiven him in turn. Had I been in a similar situation, I cannot tell what I would have done, simply because I had never experienced such intense pain, even if do I fancy envisioning myself to be able to forgive. The only effective approach I can think of is to pray: cry, pour out all your emotions to Him together with those whom you are close to.

Let us also reflect on Matthew 18:23-35, that if such a time happens, we would be strengthened to live the Words spoken by our Redeemer:

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

RFG always.

Divine in the Mundane

For the most part of my life, I perform actions which are routine for me. During secondary school, a typical weekday would be to wake up, get prepared, attend classes, head back, eat, do some work, spend some time in entertainment, go for tuition, eat, attend tuition, return home afterwards and prepare for a repetition the next day.

College life was not glaringly different, albeit the absence of external lessons outside of college, and an increase of self-study and spare time. Internship was relatively similar as well – rise, head for work, come back, perform routine house activities… . And university was a build up from my previous college life, with more assignments, projects and living independently away from home.

All in all, the bulk of my days can be summed up with waking up, performing habitual activities and afterwards, sleep. In the course of life, we often take these things we come to know as routine for granted. This is only natural; we are after all, human. I will applaud anyone who would be able to sustain their enthusiasm and appreciation each day as they go about performing their routine activities (which I do not believe there is single person in the world that did/does/will do so). Yet I would also assuredly label you insane if you are to skip and dance for joy every time you walk because your two legs are functioning.

Yet God is present, not just spiritually but even physically in our daily lives. It is reflected in the Bible, how God used the ordinary and transformed it into the extraordinary. The donkey, a common beast of burden back in those days, was chosen by Jesus to be His steed as He entered Jerusalem. Bread and wine were transubstantiated into His very own Body and Blood. Through such ordinary events God reveals His divine nature to us.

Our worship is not limited to certain words and actions. God never said we can only worship Him through songs, prayer and Scripture. If we take the Catholic Mass as an example, the whole liturgy itself is a symbol and tool to be used to deepen our worship of God. From the Stations of the Cross which reminds us of the Passion our Lord has for us; to the statues of the saints and Mary as our model for living a godly life; and consuming the Bread during Holy Communion – an ordinary eating activity becoming a divine instrument that channels His grace towards us.

Often do great and brilliant people draw novel ideas and inspiration from the most ordinary events of life. Newton concluded the law of gravity through his observation of objects falling to the ground. Louis Pasteur developed his method of preserving food – pasteurisation – unsatisfied that they always simply rot away for seemingly no reason at all. Jesus Himself referred to ordinary events in life when relating His parables to the people.

Consider for example, Matthew 6:26: Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? If God is tends to such simple events as these; would He not take much more notice of us and our daily activities?

God is constantly present and wants to be with us in every instant of our lives. In retrospect, it is reasonable to conclude that He also calls us to always dwell and never leave His presence. Is it not, then, logical that He would be present – moreso – in ordinary events which make up the bulk of our lives, and not only in specific and rare moments of visions and messages?

God sees our every moment and being; He understands that we too need a physical manifestation that will reveal Himself to us and draw us ever closer to His Sacred Heart. Just as Jesus was during His time on earth with His disciples; just as the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire in the time of Moses; just as God once walked with mankind before the Fall.

We are made whole only when both our physical and spiritual portions meet and complete one another, just as faith and reason are the two wings which enables our spirits to fly (Fides et Ratio, 1998).

RFG always.

Pray for Us

Today I opted to spend the night in contemplation, partly because there was no Catholic Students Society (CSS) meeting today; also, I felt that it has been awhile since I took time to sit and reflect on the marvels God has done.

I started with a short opening prayer following up with the Taize – a form of meditative prayer – ‘Bless the Lord My Soul’. While in His presence extolling His Name and mercy, I suddenly thought of the people of people in Japan, the recent disaster which struck them, and the turmoil the nation is going through. I also recalled a video post I saw a few days before, whereby the recording person greatly approved of the tsunami that engulfed the eastern part of the country which caused even the nuclear reactors to leak. The person went further and even hoped that God would orchestrate similar events elsewhere in the West.

As I thought of this, I shifted my conversation midway and asked the Lord, why did this happen? Some even believe it is a sign, Your wrath poured out towards the people of Japan. They seem delighted, praising Your Name joyfully because of the sadness it brought, and even hope that more such disasters would happen so that “people would know that You are God.”

Yet the God I know does not take pleasure in seeing the people He created perish. They – Your people – say You are Compassion and Love, patient and abounding in mercy. You do not treat us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our faults, and that it is You who forgives all our trespasses.

So, why? Did You allow the event to happen to show that You are God? Is it because of their sins, just as it was in Sodom? Is the Hour of Your return close at hand? In the Old Testament the people delighted in watching their enemies slain before them. Is this event a similar sign as then?

Would not even more people doubt your goodness, turning their backs to you rather than turning back to you? Where then, they will question, is Your Compassion? Where then is Your Love? Your Mercy? Your Forgiveness?

I admit that I myself was beginning to question God’s qualities slightly – how evil can the Japanese be? Surely not as bad as the radicals in the Middle East? They (the Japanese) may have weird precepts and culture, and may practice controversial actions that many would label as queer, but overall they are nice people. Majority of them had never heard of Your Name nor Your precepts – are they not then innocent? And even if that is not the case, would You, in Your mercy, not have spared the children?

As I continued praying, I felt the Lord answering me in the words of Luke 13:1-5:

1. Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3. I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4. What of those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them – do you think they were guiltier than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5. I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

It was as though Jesus was saying to me through this words, do you think the Japanese were worse sinners because of this tragedy? No. Unless they believe, and unless you believe, you will perish.

God treats everyone equally. Even the saints, both old and new were not spared from the afflictions of this world. History recorded on several occasions intense persecution, amounting to the mass murder of Christians around the world. And today, it has become the largest religious institution in the world.

Looking past the curtain, it could even hint towards a sliver of mercy. When the tsunami hit Aceh in 2004, the devastation it caused was staggering. The nation, underdeveloped as it is, was not prepared for such a disaster which sealed the lives of more than 100,000 in the country alone.

Japan however, is used to occasional rumblings of their geographic region. Earthquake drills are held as frequent as once a month. Added with their relatively strong economy and advanced development, they are one of the most prepared countries to face such a catastrophe. Had God planned for this event to take place, He would have known the country’s ability to cope with the disaster. And, as it is, the death toll is significantly lower compared to the one in Indonesia.

God loved His people, yet did not spare them from the portion of Christ’s suffering. Saint Paul conveyed the following to the believers: Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, provided we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory (Romans 8:17).

With these thoughts taken into consideration, I decided to end my prayer as thus:

Saint Michael, pray for us
Saint Timothy, pray for us
Saint Elizabeth, pray for us
Holy Mary, pray for us

Ora pro nobis, ora pro nobis

Juan Diego, pray for us
Catharine Drexel, pray for us
Saint Francis, pray for us
Saint Lucy, pray for us

Ora pro nobis, ora pro nobis

Saint Nicholas, pray for us
Saint Cecilia, pray for us
Saint Joseph, pray for us
Saint Gabriel, pray for us

Ora pro nobis, ora pro nobis
Ora pro nobis, ora pro nobis

- Matt Maher, Litany of the Saints.

PS: I decided to change my referencing format slightly following the APA method since it is the choice style for my Academic Writing subject XD.

RFG always.

Contemplation during Adoration

In the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

Praise to you O God, Almighty King. To be able to come into Your most holy presence, a great privilege is given to me, to dwell in the House of the Lord.

Praise be to thee, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, who created and ordered all to be, the infinite universe that continues to expand. You who form the vast universe and fill it with beauty and every minute detail, and ordered all things to be. My being is less than a drop in the great ocean, yet you took notice among the dust and showered Thy Fatherly care towards me.

Praise be to thee, the Son, our Redeemer and Brother. You left Thy Heavenly abode, condescending to be one of us, having gone through the same trials and burdens even more than all of us, who knows and emphathise with what we are going through. You, who stooped to be one of us, that through Your Teachings we will not be led astray, and through Your Suffering we may be called sons of the Most High.

Praise be to thee, Holy Spirit, Teacher and Guide. How much more can we ask; that You Yourself, O Lord, came to dwell in the hearts of men. You fill us with Thy Heavenly wisdom – a wisdom that comes straight from the heart of God. You, who reveal to us the divine mystery and Will of God, who gives us the wisdom and strength to walk each day, and walk it with and towards our God. Such a great gift you have given us O Lord: that we may forever dwell in the presence of the Lord.

Praise to Thee, O God, Father, Son and Spirit, whom all 3 make up the Trinity, the epitome of self-giving Love. Each unique in Person, perfectly complementing one another, distinct yet inseparable and one. In the Trinity each Person is complete, and in them we too will be complete. Indeed how great is this self-giving Love, poured out to one another, poured out to us!

O Lord, no words I know can appropriately express what You have done for me, what you are to me. Lord Jesus, You invite us to call You friend and brother, yet You are much more than that to me. You were with me since the dawn of time; You know all of me. You guide me, teach me, comfort me and love me more than I can imagine. You call me friend O Lord, but how could I respond in kind, when I cannot return the favour? What can I offer O Lord – as a friend – as You had done for me?

You know all of me Lord from the inside out, yet I do not know You even half as well in kind. Friendship is supposed to be mutual, two parties giving and taking, being there for one another, knowing one another. So how am I to call you friend O Lord, when I there is nothing I can do for You?

No words can describe what you are to me O Lord. The word ‘friend’ is too low a title. Is there any word in the tongue of man that I can use to call You by? None I know are fit to address You by O Lord. Calling You friend O Lord, it really feels as though to downplay who You really are to me O God. Is there a word in Latin, Greek, or even Hebrew that I can use to describe who You are to me?

Until the time comes where I can find a word fit to describe what You really are to me Lord Jesus, the word ‘friend’ would have to suffice, and I pray that I may call You so for the time being. That You are called by such a title pains me O Lord, yet You accept it O Lord, even welcome us to call You ‘friend’. You condescend and elevate this word, just as You condescended for us on the Cross, that we may be elevated to be called sons and daughters of the High. For that is all we can do O Lord: waiting in our total nothingness and unworthiness, You elevate us that we may be with You and dwell in Your House O God. That is indeed how You want it O Father: that we rely totally on You, to put all our faith and hope in You O God.

Thank You Father, for all of that You have done for me O Lord, for this privilege which You have bestowed upon me O Father, which no words can, and will be, able to express.

All this prayer I make O Father, through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Last updated 1 April 2011. Reason: I found a previous record of this prayer which I jotted down but later missed out, and added that in.